Mark Arcobello(28) will indeed take to the ice in the new season on overseas ice signing a two-year deal with SC Bern of the NLA (Switzerland).
The soon-to-be 28-year old scored a career high 25 goals with Toronto Marlies last season on the way to a postseason best 9 assists.
He also skated in 20 NHL games scoring 3 goals with an assist on numerous recalls for contract club, Toronto Maple Leafs.
The pastures are almost definitely going to be greener in a much better lifestyle than living in the minors for the now 7th year pro to explore.
He’ll very likely light the lamp on many occasions.
Francois Bouchard(16) has skated the last three and a half seasons overseas switching countries on a few occasions after leaving Cincinnati Cyclones in 2012/2013 half way through the schedule for Medvescak Zagreb of Erste Bank Eishockey Liga.
The 6’1″ 198 lbs. forward would only stay there for a short time, instead heading to Sweden’s tier two Allsvenskan to join IK Oskarshamn.
After a successful outing in his first year scoring 18 goals and 15 assists through 50 games, he signed with the opposition, Sodertalje SK for 2014/2015.
That would be his last campaign in the country though, as he next would go to Italy’s Serie A and agree to a one-year deal with Val Pusteria, where he put up outstanding numbers, pocketing a league leading 34 goals and 29 assists in just 42 contests and continued with 18 points through 15 postseason match-ups.
The 28-year old is once again on the move, signing his next contract for 2016/2017 in France’s Ligue Magnus with Boxers de Bordeaux.
He may even take his game up to yet another level of scoring like he did through four years of juniors with Baie-Comeau Drakker finishing up with 343 points in 259 QMJHL games.
The seemingly affable player also won the 2009 and 2010 AHL Calder Cups with Hershey Bears.
Heading into his 6th year, defenseman Ben Youds(2) has decided to take his game overseas signing a one-year deal with Leksands IF of the SHL.
The good puck-moving blue liner should excel nicely in this league after putting up career high scoring two seasons ago with Providence Bruins and Lake Erie Monsters.
He had 8 goals and 24 assists for 32 points in 65 AHL games.
Re-upping with Providence last year for his third campaign with the team, he still recorded 5 goals and 17 assists in 50 contests with a +9 rating.
The 28-year old averaged 14 assists in each of his four years at Minnesota State University-Mankato, so has always been effective at head-manning the puck for scoring chances.
After a pretty phenomenal 12-year playing career, center Tim Brent(37) has decided to hang up his skates after returning from 3 seasons in the KHL, to sign for a season with Philadelphia Flyers, but mainly serving as a veteran presence for some of their younger prospects on affiliate Lehigh Vally Phantoms.
The two-time Anaheim Ducks‘ draft pick (2002, round 2, #37 and 2004, round 3, #75) has appeared in over 200 NHL games, including two and a half full seasons (2012/2013 lockout shortened) with Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.
He also played over 400 AHL regular season and playoff games scoring 113 goals and 175 assists.
The former #2 overall pick by Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL had an outstanding juniors effort reaching very close to point-per-game status in four years with Toronto St. Michael’s Majors.
Maybe the crowning achievement in the 32-year old’s run was winning the 2014 KHL Gagarin Cup Championship with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. but two-years of 40+ assists in the minors and a 12 goal, 12 assist campaign in 2011/2012 with the Hurricanes are probably right up there as well.
It will be interesting to see what’s next but he would no doubt make a great coach bringing all of his experience to the table.
3rd season center Lukas Sedlak(28) is having an outstanding playoff performance with Columbus Blue Jackets‘ new affiliate Lake Erie Monsters helping the team all the way to the 2016 Calder Cup Finals.
His 8 goals in 13 AHL postseason match-ups leads the league and with 13 points, he’s tied for fourth in overall scoring but has reached his numbers in fewer games.
With these efforts, the parent club is wasting little time extending his contract for another campaign possibly rewarding him for the outstanding play, as he’s set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the current season.
The 23-year old showed signs of a breakout with a career high 14 goals, 18 points and a +13 through only 54 games, but it’s doubtful anyone expected him to potentially surpass his single season points in less than 20 playoff games.
If he continues on this pace into the upcoming training camp, the deep draft pick may surprise everyone and find himself grabbing an NHL roster spot for 2016/2017.
Heading into his 13th pro season, veteran center Max Talbot(25) probably didn’t expect any suitors for his dogged, hard working game, so likely put out the feelers elsewhere and came back with a one-year deal from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
His style may just work well in the KHL and he may even continue an odd sidebar trend of his playing career.
Each time he’s started up with a new team, he’s enjoyed a scoring surge.
The freakish occurrence started in his first complete year with draft team (8th round of 2002, #234 overall) Pittsburgh Penguins.
He scored a then career high 13 goals in 2006/2007.
Six seasons later, after signing a multi-year deal with Philadelphia Flyers he posted marks that remain tops for him at 19 goals, 15 assists for 34 points.
It would happen one more time after being traded to Colorado Avalanche early in 2012/2013, he would record a new best 19 assists in a campaign.
Of course, it didn’t happen with his most recent NHL team, Boston Bruins, who dealt for him late in 2014/2015, then re-upped for another run.
The 32-year old has a long list of other on-ice accomplishments as his wiki outlines in terrific detail but there’s no reason to doubt he may just be getting started with dropping his skates elsewhere.
7th year Russian-born left wing Maxim Kitsyn(48) has had plenty enough of the North American minor league system and leaves for home after three seasons of playing mostly in the ECHL with some AHL visits.
Signed after his first full campaign of pro hockey in his country, splitting time in the KHL and lower VHL, he came over on a three-year entry deal but failed to catch on at the higher level despite putting up big numbers in junior hockey for the second half of a season with Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.
His limited time in the OHL came after Los Angeles Kings selected him in the 6th round of the 2010 draft (#158 overall).
The fairly big 6’2″ 195 lbs. forward plays an aggressive style but seemed to have difficulties elevating his game at the higher levels.
He did however come away from last season tying his career best 26 goals with a new high 29 assists, 55 points and an outstanding +37 rating, first on Manchester Monarchs, second in the league.
The 24-year old returns to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, where he spent 8 games before he embarked on his journey from the last few years.
Undrafted 2nd year right wing Dyson Stevenson(26) won the 2015 Kelly Cup Championship, when he was reassigned late in the calendar to the surging ECHL squad.
He had recently been traded from Portland Pirates, who signed him as a rookie, to Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he skated 4 games getting no points.
The 6′ 185 lbs. forward got a goal in 5 games, then added another 3 tallies and 5 assists in the playoffs.
For his sophomore season he re-signed a month outside of training camp with Allen Americans for another shot at the title.
Along the way, he’s played in a career high 68 games scoring 8 goals and a new best 17 assists and 25 points.
He also rarely shies away from a confrontation, recording a regular season best 12 fights.
Through 4 years of juniors with Regina Pats, it was only in his final season after returning from playing four pro games with Bakersfield Condors did he take way up with 38 goals and 38 assists in 66 WHL games.
He’ll turn just 23-years old over the summer and will have to figure out where to play next but he’s showing a nice upside and is playing in his 2nd straight Kelly Cup Finals.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins‘ rookie right wing John McCarron(25) has to consider it a bit fortunate to be reassigned to affiliate Wheeling Nailers for the remainder of 2015/2016 after skating 12 AHL games with no points.
The big 6’3″ 220 lbs. forward is still playing hockey for the 2016 Kelly Cup Championship after clawing their way through two game 7 victories to advance.
At 14 goals and 17 assists in 51 ECHL games in his first year, the former Edmonton Oilers‘ 4th round pick in the 2012 draft (#153 overall) had a decent debut despite not signing with the team that selected him.
It’s in the playoffs though that he’s taking his game to another level.
He leads all rookies in scoring with 18 in 19 playoff games with a +8.
The 24-year old that took a somewhat long route to turning pro, starting with three seasons in the USHL with Lincoln Stars followed by four years at Cornell University he seems to have been bitten with that determination bug to prove naysayers wrong.
His younger brother is Michael McCarron.
Undrafted right wing Brandon Marino(13) will spend his 8th pro season skating in Slovak 2.Liga for HC Nove Zamky.
This comes after arguably one of his most successful years in North America, where he played a career high 30 AHL games with Utica Comets on loan from contract team Brampton Beast.
The small 5’9″ but stocky 185 lbs. forward recorded 4 goals in his time up, while once again notching at least a point-per-game, getting 13 goals and 28 assists in 40 ECHL games on a squad that consistently struggled to post wins.
He’s always been outstanding on the score sheet.
In 2011/2012, he lead the Central Hockey League in goals scored at 41 with Quad City Mallards and was voted the league MVP.
Then two years later as a member of Fort Wayne Komets led the ECHL in assists (58) and points (88).
After putting up these marks, he was wooed to head to Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga suiting up for Szekesfehervar and continued to connect.
He will turn 30-years old over the summer and shows no signs of slowing down.
